Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan has been one of my favorite audiobook narrators pretty much from the first time I heard her voice. The range of voices and accents and characters that I’ve heard her read is astonishing. And then I started seeing reviews of Thank You for Listening popping up all over my IG feed. And my immediate reaction when I saw Julia listed as the author was, “Wait – she’s a writer too???” I read the blurb and knew I had to read this book. My only decision was – Kindle or audiobook? I spent about half a second on that choice, because OF COURSE I’m going to listen to Julia narrate her own story!
And it was a complete and utter DELIGHT. I enjoyed getting a little peek behind the curtain at the process involved in audiobook production. And because this is a romance book about romance books, we get ALL the tropes and it is glorious. Whelan takes the reader on quite a ride as we unravel the romantic relationship placed in front of us. But it’s not just the romance that had me swooning for this book. Swan’s relationship with her ailing grandmother (Blah Blah) was sweet and loving but also at times devastating. I’ll forever be hearing “Dollface!” in my head when I think of this book. Swan having to learn to accept her life after the accident that left her wearing an eye patch was heartbreaking. The range of emotions that I experienced while listening to the book was, quite frankly, a little startling. As they say, “I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.” Definitely on my list of fave books of 2022.
I encourage everyone to check out this lovely story that is a nice blend of romance and women’s fiction. And definitely try the audiobook!
DeJenerateReads 